


Let It Be

by transtobio



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Asexual Kuroo, M/M, aro/ace kageyama, aromantic kenma, quoiromantic hinata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-09
Updated: 2015-05-09
Packaged: 2018-03-29 16:30:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3903145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/transtobio/pseuds/transtobio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kenma couldn't quite describe his feelings for Hinata, but he knew they were unique. He didn't feel this way about anyone else, nor did he want to. He was content just being with Hinata, and listening to the other talk.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Let It Be

**Author's Note:**

> Not going to lie, this is purely self-indulgent.

[11:05PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

omg i cnt believe im done with hs!!! feels like ysterday was the entrance ceremony

 

[11:05PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

i wntd to play more volleyball ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡

 

[11:10PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

… kenmaaaaaa (T⌓T)

 

[11:12PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

… i was asleep shouyou…

 

[11:12PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

o shit srry! didnt realize the time °O°

 

[11:13PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

its fine…

 

[11:13PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

youre playing vball in college right?

 

[11;14PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

ya!!! me n kages r goin to the same college in tokyo ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ

 

[11:16PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

the one near my college?

 

[11:16PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

no, the other one (^_−)☆ jk of course!!! we both got schcolarships there

 

[11:17PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

interesting....

 

[11:20PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

hey hey kenma!!! we should meet up whn i get there!!!

 

[11:22PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

i havnt seen u in a year!!! not since nationals ur third year °O°

 

[11:24PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

of course… when are you going to be in town?

 

[11:25PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

like 2 weeks b4 school starts!! me n kages r sharing an apt and he wants to move in early ｡゜(｀Д´)゜｡

 

[11:25PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

okay… just msg me when youre free and we can arrange something

 

[11:26PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

yeah!!!!

 

[11:26PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

cant wait (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ

 

 

\--

 

 

Kenma fidgeted as he stood outside of the coffee shop where he and Hinata agreed to meet. It was a tiny place, not more than a hole in a wall compared to the skyscrapers surrounding him. This made it perfect for Kenma, who (despite living here for a year) hated crowds. He didn’t have to worry about disrupting sidewalk traffic here, or  check his pockets for his wallet and phone all the time. The only thing he had to worry about was spotting Hinata, especially considering how short he was.

Luckily, his hair stuck out like a sore thumb, which meant Kenma found him easily. He looked down at his clothes (plain) and then fiddled with his hair (longer, more black) and hoped the other would recognize him.

“Kenma!” Hinata called and oh, great he still knew who he was.

“Shouyou,” Kenma greeted the other as he ran up to him.

“Hey! Your hair is different!” Hinata said loudly while gesturing wildly at his head. “Also you got taller! No far!”

“... You got taller too.” Kenma said after a second, trying not to stare at Hinata's new freckles.

Those stood out more than the other’s height, but the comment made Hinata smile. “I knew it! Tsukishima was convinced I was lying when I said I got taller, you know? But I measured myself, I’ve grown at least another centimeter.”

Kenma smiled at him, “I-its good to see you.”

Oh god why did he say that? Hinata must think he’s a complete weirdo now. “Thanks! Its good to see you too,” the shorter teen replied with a grin. “Come on, lets go in! I hope they have something other than coffee, I don’t want to get short when I just grew!”

Kenma walked in before Hinata could drag him, listening to the other talk about anything and everything. It was honestly good to see him, especially since it had been a year since they last met. Other than the freckles and (slight) height increase, Hinata was relatively unchanged. It would be hard for Kenma to point out the differences between the teen now and the one from a year ago.

Kenma thought he hadn’t changed, but Hinata’s observations made him rethink that. His hair was constantly changing, as annoying as it was. He was regretting bleaching it all those years ago, the upkeep was hell. It always felt like he had bleached it the day before whenever he spotted his roots grow in. Hinata was wrong about his height, though. He wasn't taller, but Kuroo bugged him about his posture enough that he fixed it. That was a con of living with his best friend, but one that he could deal with.

The shorter teen continued to talk happily as they stood in line, oblivious to Kenma’s thoughts. “Have you been here before? What should I get? I kinda just want to get a green tea, unless you know of something better?”

“Uhh…” Kenma searched for an answer, now panicked about what he should order.

Hinata was oblivious to his hesitation and worry. “Oh, do you want the same thing?”

“... Sure.” It would do.

“Okay! I’ll order for us, you go find a place to sit down,” the other replied, making a shooing motion.

Kenma spared a moment to smile at the other, thankful that he picked up on his uneasiness. He choose a seat by the window that was close enough to the door that it was easy to leave, but tucked against a wall so that he didn’t feel like people were staring.

Two minutes after he sat down Hinata bounced up with their drinks. “Wow, that was quick! It must be slow for them right now, they had the drinks done in a second.”

The other hummed in response, blowing softly on his tea before taking a sip.

“Sooo, how have you been? Did you get stuck with an awful roommate last year? Are classes really difficult? Have you been playing volleyball?” Hinata said after a moment of peaceful silence, eyes sparkling.

Kenma raised an eyebrow. “... I’m rooming with Kuroo. I told you this over text, remember? You should know the answer to each of those questions, its not like we haven’t talked in a year.”

“I knoow, but its different when I can see you in person!” Hinata replied. “I just want to hear you talk a bit.”

He was taken aback by the other’s honesty. He wanted to hear him talk? About stuff he already knew? Hinata was definitely strange. “... Classes aren’t that hard, as long as you study. I don’t play volleyball that much, only when Kuroo is bored or when he can convince me to come to the association he plays for now.”

Hinata nearly bounced in his seat while the other talks. “Awesome! Can you play volleyball with me sometimes too? Not right now, I mean. But it would be nice to play with you again! I liked when you would toss to me during the summer training camps.”

“Sure,” Kenma said before he could think about it.

“Awesome!” the shorter teen said, wincing slightly at the volume of his voice. “Oops, sorry. So guess what Kageyama did as soon as we finished moving boxes? He decided it would be a good idea to…”

Hinata continued to ramble on about stuff, a smile constantly present on his face. Kenma was glad that he wasn’t pressing him to respond (one thing he hated about socializing) or asking him questions. He could simply sit with his tea and listen to the other speak, and occasionally comment if he felt the need to. That was what he liked about Hinata: he was energetic and excitable but never pressed the other.

He was a good person. Kenma liked Hinata.

Said teen blinked at the thought that just ran through his head, alarmed. He did like Hinata as a person, of course, but those words struck a different chord with him. Why did they sound so different when phrased like that?

Hinata was oblivious to Kenma’s plight, and had just paused to take a drink when his phone rang. It was a loud and cheerful tone, like the teen himself. “Sorry, that’s probably Kageyama. Do you mind if I take this?” Kenma shook his head. “Thanks!”

He flipped open his phone, bringing it to his ear. “Yes? What? What do you mean you locked yourself out of the apartment? Idiot!” he held the phone away from his ear as angry squabbles were heard. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll be there in… fifteen minutes. Try not to piss off the neighbors!” Hinata snapped his phone shut, looking apologetic.

“Sorry, I have to rescue the goddamn moron.” He said glumly around a sip of tea.

“No, its fine.” Kenma immediately reassure him, checking the time. “I should get home too. Kuroo will be there soon.”

“Oh, okay!” Hinata stood up, prompting the other to do the same. “Bye Kenma! It was nice seeing you!” he said quickly, hugging the other before running out of the shop.

He even forgot his drink. Kenma rolled his eyes, saying, “Bye Shouyou,” even after the teen was long gone.

Hinata truly was a whirlwind disguised as a person. Kenma liked him all the same.

 

 

\--

 

 

Kenma sighed as he unlocked the door to his apartment. “I’m home…” he mumbled as he took off his shoes, unsurprised when Kuroo appeared.

“Sup Kenma. How did your date with shorty go?” the taller person said, voice muffled as he stuffed some chips in his mouth.

“It wasn’t a date, Kuro.” Kenma retorted as he put his shoes away. “You’re going to gain weight if you keep eating those.”

“How rude!” Kuroo replied, still snacking on the chips. “Also, it was totally a date. You spent half an hour making sure you looked nice before you left! Don’t lie to me, I saw those clothes scattered all around your room and the bathroom. Which you have to clean up, by the way.”

“Yeah, yeah.” he replied before meandering into the kitchen for a drink. “It wasn’t a date. You know I don’t like people like that.”

“Well what was it then? A ‘not-friend’ hanging out?” Kuroo teased, using air quotes. “Just because you don’t have romantic feelings doesn’t mean you don't like him. There’s something more.”

Kenma felt his face heating up. “No. Maybe. I don’t know,” he sputtered, grabbing his drink before he ran to his room.

Kuroo’s ensuing laughter was audible, but thankfully he left Kenma alone. He knew when the other needed time to think, and he definitely needed that now.

What were his feelings for Hinata, exactly? He definitely liked him, as a friend and person. Did he want something different from his relationship with Hinata? Something not romantic, but not just friendly?

Kenma knew there was a label for how he felt about relationships. It was a hard-earned title from his scouring on the internet. Aromantic. That’s what they called it.

It wasn’t romantic feelings he felt for Hinata, but it definitely wasn’t just friendly. Kenma wasn’t sure if there was a name for what he felt towards Hinata.

He wouldn’t mind holding hands with the other, or going out together. Kenma was pretty sure he’d be able to handle cheek and forehead kisses. He might be able to stomach a bit of cuddling too, if the other wanted to do so.

Kenma’s biggest worry was on how people would look at them, and how Hinata would react. Of course, he had no idea how to voice this, and not having a name for his feelings wasn’t helping.

He supposed he would have to spend some time searching the internet again.

Just as he pulled out his laptop and remembered the apartment had awful wifi, his phone chirped.

 

[4;57PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

that was a lot of fun! srry we had to cut it short ( ≧Д≦) i mad e kages buy me meat buns as punishment!!!

 

[4:59PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

its fine… i had fun too

 

[5:00PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

do u wanna hang out again soon? since this time we got interrupted （ノ○Д○）ノ＝＝＝┠

 

[5:01PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

sure

 

[5:01PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

ok!!!! how abt saturday?

 

[5:03PM]

From: ☆ Kenma ☆

sounds good

 

[5:03PM]

From: Shouyou ☆

awesome!!!! ＼（＾▽＾）／

 

Kenma smiled when he finished texting Hinata, tossing his phone on his bed. He didn’t feel that mushy, gooey-ness that people described feeling. It was definitely not romantic.

Although, he felt a strange sense of peace while talking to the other. It was like watching the end credits to a game successfully beaten. There was only happiness and calmness. He forgot most of his anxiety while texting Hinata, and looked forward to their talks. There was always the desire to know more about him, even though (realistically) he knew a lot of about Hinata already. Kenma felt like he could experience anything with Hinata and have fun.

It was a nice feeling to have.

 

 

\--

 

 

Kenma met Hinata at the coffee shop again, the place being one of the few they both knew about. After all, Hinata was new to the city and Kenma rarely bothered to leave his apartment.

“You got a different drink this time!” Hinata pointed out when he sat down at the table again.

Kenma nodded. “I got bored waiting for you, and the worker suggested it.”

“It looks pretty! Is there coffee in it?” he shook his head, and the other went on, “Can I try it?”

He pushed his drink over to the other in response. “Thanks! You can have some of mine, even though its just the same green tea as before.”

“I’m okay,” he responded as Hinata carefully took a sip, eyes lighting up. “There’s so much sugar!”

Kenma smiled slightly at the look on the other’s face. “I like a lot of sugar,” he admitted, taking his drink back and sipping on it.

Before he could think about the indirect kiss, Hinata’s phone went off again. “Nope. Not answering it.”

“... You should answer it.”

“No way! Kageyama can just stay outside the apartment this time.” Hinata replied, sticking out his tongue and checking the notification on his phone. “... Okay, it's just a text from my mom.”

“Good.” the taller teen blurt out, sounding more petulant than he meant to.

“Aww, don’t be so down Kenma! It wasn’t Kageyama after all, and if it was I would’ve stayed here anyways!” Hinata replied, giggling. “Oh! That reminds me of something.”

Kenma made a noise of acknowledgement around his drink, and Hinata continued. “I finished unpacking all my games yesterday, want to come over and play them?”

The other thought for a moment before replying. “Okay.”

“Awesome! Do you want to go now or in a bit?”

“Now is fine.”

“Sweet, lets get going then!” Hinata stood up and grabbed his drink, waiting patiently as Kenma did the same. “We can just walk there, it's not too far.”

“Alright,”

Fifteen minutes later, Hinata jiggled with the lock on his front door. “Kageyama, the idiot, loosened this when he was trying to get in on his own last time. It takes a bit,” he apologized to the other.

“I don’t mind.” Kenma replied, trying not to sound too nervous when he said, “I-is he home?”

“Nope! He has to talk to the school counselor about something. Then he’s going to check out the gym afterwards.”

“Ah, okay.” he felt some of his nervousnessfade at that, and Hinata finally opened the door.

“There we go! There’s still a few boxes hanging around and it's messy, so sorry in advance!”

“Its fine,” Kenma replied, muttering, “pardon the intrusion” as he took off his shoes.

Hinata did the same, and pulled the other into his room.

“Check it out!” Hinata said excitedly, waving to where he had his system set up. “Natsu wanted me to leave this for her to play with, but I brought it so we can have something to do! Besides volleyball, of course.”

Kenma was honestly touched. It was rare that Hinata wanted to do something besides play volleyball. Plus, he decided to lug his game console all this way just so he could play on it with him?

He might start crying.

“Sooo. What game do you want to play first?” Hinata asked, pulling the other out of his thoughts.

Kenma decided to tease the other. “Which one are you the worst at?”

“So mean!” Hinata complained. “Go ahead and choose, I’m gonna grab some pillows so we can sit on the floor.”

Kenma debated heavily over the games as he waited for the other. He finally settled on the one that he was most familiar with, not wanting to take any chances. Hinata may be awful at video games, but he had a way of surprising him with his gameplay.

“Okay, I grabbed some pillows.” Hinata popped back in, flinging said pillows on the floor. “They may or may not be from Kageyama’s bed.”

Kenma snorted. “Lets start playing then.”

“Oooh, this game? I’m going to beat you.”

“You wish.”

Several hours and rounds later, Kenma had thoroughly beaten Hinata. The latter lay sprawled on the ground, whining after he died. “How did you manage to beat me every time?”

“I’m just good at it,” he replied, shrugging and fixing his hair.

Hinata opened his mouth to reply, but stopped when he heard the front door jiggle. “Its because you broke it, idiot!” he called as he heard the door open.

“I didn’t break it!” was heard immediately afterwards, and Kageyama poked his head into Hinata's room. “If you heard me, why didn’t you help me, dumbass?”

“Because Kenma’s here, and I like to see you suffer.” Hinata said with a giggle.

The taller teen blinked. “Oh, hello Kozume-san.”

Kenma nodded in response, and pulled out his phone to check the time. “I have to get home, Shouyou. Its late and its my turn to cook dinner.”

“Aww, just one more round?” Hinata said enticingly. “You can kick Kageyama’s ass too.”

“I don’t suck at video games, unlike you.”

“N-no, I should go.” Kenma cleared his throat and stood up, bowing slightly. “Thanks for having me over,”

He hurried past Kageyama, and put his shoes on as fast as possible. Unfortunately, the other two were not quiet with their arguing and he heard them.

“Goddamnit Kageyama, you scared Kenma!”

“I didn’t mean to, asshole! You should've told me you were bringing your boyfriend over, I would have stayed on campus.”

“He’s not my boyfriend! Just because you have the emotional capacity of a sponge…” Hinata’s voice trailed off as Kenma left, cheeks red and wondering why he came over in the first place.

 

 

\--

 

 

“So how was your ‘hanging’ out with shorty?” Kuroo said as soon as Kenma entered the kitchen, sprawled over the kitchen table.

“It wasn’t a date, Kuro.” the shorter teen replied as he started dinner.

“Wasn’t just two friends hanging out, either.”

Kenma made an aggravated noise. “... can it be a date even if I dont want to date him?”

Kuroo shrugged. “You know better than me.”

“Hey,” he added after a few minutes of silence. “Do you want to have sex with that kid?”

Kenma thought for a second. “I wouldn’t mind it, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

The taller person made a face, “Ew, gross.”

“You’re the one who asked.” he replied simply. “I don’t know why you asked since you’re completely uninterested in that.”

“Haha, right. I almost forgot about that.” How does one forget that they’re asexual? “Well, that means that you don’t have strictly friend feelings for him, then? I know you don’t do casual sex, unless you’ve suddenly changed your ideals.”

“No, you’re right.” Kenma said absentmindedly.

“Looks like we need to put aside some hours to search the internet again, huh Ken?”

“Unfortunately yes, Kuro.”

 

 

\--

 

 

A week and countless internet searches later, Kenma finally found a word that explained his feelings: queerplatonic. He was now faced with a problem, though.

He had no idea how to explain this all to Hinata, or if it was even worth doing so. Would the other simply reject him, and no longer have anything to do with him? Or would he say that it was all silly and they should just consider themselves dating? That sounded more horrible to Kenma than outright rejection, and was his biggest fear.

He needed to make sure he could properly convey his feelings and have those feelings accepted.

Even now, as Kenma stood in front of Hinata’s door, he wasn’t sure he would get that. Still, he knocked politely and waited.

“Coming!” Hinata shouted, and a minute later the front door burst open. “Oh, hi! Sorry for the wait, I tripped over a box that was still lying around, haha.”

Kenma nodded in response and entered. “Pardon the intrusion.” he said politely, taking off his shoes and ignoring the other’s stare.

“So, uh, is there any specific game you want to play this time?” Hinata asked,  rubbing the back of his head. “Just wondering! You’ve kicked my ass in most of them.”

He shrugged. “I don’t care. Whatever you want to play.”

“You’re the guest, though?”

Kenma gave him a look. “Shouyou.”

“Fiiine, I’ll choose!” Hinata said, leading the other back into his room.

“Aww man! You beat me again,” he said ten minutes later, having yet to win a round.

The other hid a smile. “I can tell you’re not trying, Shouyou.”

“I am!” he replied, knowing full well the other could tell he was lying. “Hey, lets try again. This time I’ll really try my best! I’ll treat it like I treat volleyball!”

“Okay.”

Ten more minutes later Kenma was beginning to get frustrated with Hinata. Something was obviously up. Even after he claimed to be ‘taking it more seriously. He also kept glancing over at Kenma, something that didn't help his gameplay.

Had Kenma done something to weird him out? Was he bored and wanted to do something else? Did Hinata not want to be his friend anymore?

Kenma was so distracted by his thoughts that he nearly lost the game. He sighed with relief and turned to Hinata, who was looking more flustered by the second.

“Wha-” “Kenma.”

They blinked in surprise at the other talking. “Oh, whoops! Sorry, you go first.”

“No, you.”

“Why do I have to?”

“Shouyou.”

Hinata sighed dramatically, twiddling his thumbs. “So, uhh…”

“...”

“... I may, eh, like you?” he squeaked out, face turning red. “Like as in want to date you!”

Kenma blinked in surprise. “I’m aromantic.”

He turned red after what he said. “Do you know what that is?”

“No?”

“Its… well,” he coughed. “I don’t exactly… experience romantic attraction.”

“But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you!” Kenma added hastily as he saw the other’s crestfallen look.

“No, its okay.” Hinata said glumly. “Especially since I’m not sure whether I like you… romantically or not.”

“What do you mean?”

“Its like… you make me feel FWOOSH! but that’s not like, romantic? At least, I don’t think so…” he said thoughtfully.

“T-that’s okay.” Kenma said, trying not to smile. “I l-like you in a different way than friends. But I don’t want to date you.”

“So…?”

“So let’s be together.”

“Really?”

“Really,” Kenma now smiled at Hinata’s bright grin.

“Awesome! Sorry I can’t say exactly what I feel for you.”

“That’s okay, Shouyou. Let’s check the internet, it might be able to help.”

 

 

\--

 

 

Kenma checked his phone for the fifth time that minute, shifting his weight. Hinata was supposed to get out of practice any minute, and he couldn’t wait. He already felt like people were staring, which was a surprise. After all, he looked like any other college student waiting for their friend/partner to get out of practice.

Partner. That’s what Hinata and Kenma called each other. It kept people off their back and didn’t make Kenma feel nauseous when he said it, so the term fit perfectly.

Plus, it let him explain that Hinata was his, so that people would stop flirting with him. Kenma was surprisingly jealous.

“Kenma!”

His eyes shot up when he heard his name being called, and he smiled when he saw who called him. “Shouyou.”

“Thanks for waiting for me,” the teen said appreciatively, slotting his hand in Kenma’s. “Lets stop by that coffee shop before heading to to my apartment! I want to try that pink drink again.”

Kenma could feel the stares and whispers, but cared less than he usually would. “Okay,” he laughed at a sudden thought.

“What’s funny?” Hinata asked.

“Did you know that I thought you and Kageyama were dating once?”

The shorter teen made a face. “Ew, no. Kageyama’s like you, he’s-what’s the word?”

“Aromantic.”

“Aromantic, yeah! Anyways, lets go!” Hinata dragged Kenma out of the gym.

Kenma let himself be drug out with a slight smile, feeling happy and at peace.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm not aromantic myself, but I tried to convey how a relationship as an aromantic would work properly. If you have any issues with something I wrote here, please let me know! Especially if you're aromantic, I want to make sure I'm not being offensive in what I write :)  
> edit: I've actually realized that I'm on the aromantic spectrum since writing this fic but if there's still something wrong with the interpretation let me know!


End file.
